IT’S SEC TIMES TWO ATOP THE AP POLL
SEC has the top two teams in the country for the 29th time
The Southeastern Conference is only 2-3 in matchups this season vs. the Mountain West, in Alabama and LSU, it has the top two teams in the latest AP rankings.
NEW YORK — LSU moved up to No. 2 in The Associated Press college football poll, giving the Southeastern Conference the top two teams in the country for the 29th time and putting the Tigers behind No. 1 Alabama less than a month before the rivals meet in Tuscaloosa.
The Tigers jumped from No. 5, past No. 3 Clemson and No. 4 Ohio State, after beating Florida in a matchup of unbeaten teams Saturday night. LSU received 12 first-place votes Sunday in the AP Top 25 presented by Regions Bank while Alabama received 30 first-place votes and is No. 1 for the third consecutive week. The Crimson Tide host the Tigers on Nov. 9.
One conference has held the top two spots 75 times since the AP poll started in 1936, none more than the SEC. The nowdefunct Big Eight is next with 23.
Clemson received 11 firstplace votes Sunday and Ohio State had nine. Oklahoma was No. 5 and Wisconsin became the first new team to crack the top six after Georgia suffered the biggest upset of the season so far. The Bulldogs dropped from No. 3 to No. 10 after losing at home to South Carolina in double overtime.
Georgia is the highest-ranked team to lose to an unranked team this season. The Bulldogs had been steady at No. 3 since the preseason. They were among a season-high eight ranked teams to lose this weekend, including four to unranked teams.
Penn State moved up to No. 7. Florida’s loss at LSU cost the ninth-ranked Gators two spots. Notre Dame was No. 8, two spots ahead of Georgia, which won a close game at home against the Irish last month.
Texas slipped four spots to No. 15, the highest ranked team with two losses. The Longhorns lost to Oklahoma on Saturday and fell to LSU early in the season. Both losses were to current topfive teams, each by seven points.
CLEMSON: Coach Dabo Swinney said backup kicker Steven Sawicki would start on Saturday against Louisville after starter B.T. Potter missed a 24-yard field goal try right before halftime against Florida State. It was Potter’s second straight miss after a 40-yard attempt at North Carolina didn’t go through.
Clemson’s offense originally lined up for a fourth-and-2 at the FSU 7 right before the half and leading 28-0. But Swinney called time out and sent Potter in for the chip-shot kick.
After the miss, Swinney angrily lit into Potter and yelled at him as both walked down the sidelines.
Swinney said Sunday he was “disappointed” with Potter and felt like it was time to give Sawicki the chance.
Sawicki made both extra points and a 26-yard field goal in the second half of Clemson’s 45-14 win over the Seminoles.
BAYLOR: The No. 18-ranked Bears will be without leading tackler Clay Johnston for the rest of the season after the senior middle linebacker injured his knee on a play where he had an interception. Baylor officials didn’t elaborate Sunday.
SOUTH CAROLINA: Coach Will Muschamp said freshman quarterback Ryan Hilinski has a sprained left knee, but is expected to play when the Gamecocks face No. 9 Florida on Saturday.